Floor sweeping magnet device



New. SU, 1948. R. H. STEARNS FLOOR SWEEPING MAGNET DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1944 NGV. 3Q, 1948. R. H. STEARNS FLOOR SWEEPING MAGNET DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1944 v N F v M 3@ u M aid .Hmummwwwmm WH I f Patented Nov. 30, 1948 2,455,319 FLOOR SWEEPING MAGNET DEVICE Roswell H. Stearns, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Stearns Magnetic Mfg. (30., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 22, 1944, Serial No. 541,601

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a floor sweeping magnet device.

Objects of this invention are to provide a floor sweeping magnet device which is so constructed that it may be pushed across a floor, parking lot, or other surface and will clean such surface of magnetic particles, such as nails, screws and chips, and will recover small lost tools provided they are of magnetic material. 1

Further objects are to provide a floor sweeping magnet device which is very similar in appearance to an ordinary type of floor sweeper and which may be handled with the same facility as an ordinary floor sweeper, but which instead of the customary construction of a floor sweeper is so made that a revolvin drum is provided and is associated with magnets located interiorly of the drum and arranged to cause material to be held'to the lower and forward side of the drum, the drum being revolved so as to bring the material over the top of the drum and the magnets being so arranged as to cause release of the material on the rear side of the drum, a suitable removable catch pan being provided for the discharged magnetic material.

In greater detail further objects are to provide a floor sweeping magnet device in which a nonmagnetic revolving drum surrounds a series of permanent magnets provided with contoured poles whose lower and forward portions are in close proximity to the inner periphery of the drum and whose rear portions are spaced from the inner periphery of the drum, the magnet body itself between the poles being composed of a high grade permanent magnetic material which is readily obtainable on the open market.

Further objects are to provide a floor sweeping magnet device which is so made that the drum surrounding the permanent magnets is driven from one or more wheels on which the chassis is carried and is rotated only when the device is pushed in a forward direction, an overrunning clutch being provided to interrupt the operative connection between the drum and the-wheels when the device is drawn rearwardly, the construction thus enabling the operator to freely push the device under machines and tables and withdraw it without any danger of the'reverse rotation of the drum. Further objects are to provide a floorsweeping magnet device in which a chassis carries arevoluble drum, the device having a series of permanent magnets located within the drum and adjustably carried so that they may be rocked about the axis of the drum and locked in their adjusted position,

means also being provided for raising or lowering the drum with reference to the floor or. surface over which the device is adapted to be passed.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the device, such view corresponding to a section on the line lI of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device, partly broken away and partly in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the device comprises generally an open chassis or frame which is composed of side members I joined by a forward non-magnetic tie rod 2 and a rear tie rod 3. This chassis is carried by a pair of rear rubber-tired wheels 4 and a pair of small forward casters 5 which are adapted to pivot about vertical axes in the customary manner for casters. Each caster projects downwardly from the forward bracket 6 which are joined by a nonmagnetic bumper or transverse guard I preferably of angular construction as shown in Figure 1. A rearwardly projecting manipulating handle 8 is provided with a pair of forward arms 9 which are pivotally mounted as indicated at II] on the inner sides of the chassis.

A revolubly mounted cylindrical drum I I is provided and is carried by non-magnetic end discs I 2 which are rigid with a large gear I 3. The gear I3 meshes with a smaller gear I4 carried by a rearwardly located transverse shaft I5. The shaft I5 carries a pair of pinions I6 at opposite ends which are loosely mounted on the shaft and are freely revoluble thereon. Operative connection between thhe gears I6 and the shaft is provided by means of overrunning clutches indicated generally at I! in Figure 2. The gears I6 mesh with internal gears l8 carried by the wheels 4. The overrunning clutches I! are so arranged that the drum II is rotated only when the device is pushed in a forwardly direction. The gear train is so arranged that the drum rotates in a counterclockwise direction when the device is pushed forwardly, as viewed in Figure 1.

A removable catch pan I9 is carried rearwardly of the drum I I, as shown most clearly in Figure 1. The catch epan I9 rests at its forward end upon a transversely extending bar 20 which is provided with threaded end portions supported from the chassis and arranged to adjust the bar upwardly or downwardly as desired. Suitable lugs 2| project downwardly from the lower forward end of the pan I 9 and are positioned on opposite sides of the bar 20. The rear portion of the pan is supported by a pair of hooks 22 which hook over the rear tie rod 3.

The revoluble drum I I is housed within a curved casing 23 which is spaced from the drum, as shown most clearly in Figure 1. The casing 23 is I claim:

1. A floor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, supporting wheels revol-ubly carried by said frame, means for propelling said frame, a revoluble drum, means for causing rotation of said drum in a reverse direction from the direction of rotation of said wheels when said frame travels in one direction, a plurality of magnets located within said drum and having poles in proximity to the inner periphery of said drum adiacent the bottom and at one side of said drum and being spaced from the inner periphery of said drum at the other side of said drum, and a catch pan located adjacent said other side of said drum, said device being arranged to cause the under side of said drum to travel faster over the floor in said one direction than the rate of travel of said device in the said one direction to avoid wedgingof magnetic material between the drum and the floor, whereby when said device is propelled across the floor in the said one direction magnetic material is picked up on said drum and delivered to said pan by said drum.

2. A floor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, means for propelling said frame, a revoluble drum extending transversely of said frame, power transmitting means for driving said drum from at least one of said wheels in a reverse direction from the direction of rotation of said Wheels when said frame travels in one direction, a plurality of magnets located within said drum and having poles in proximity to the inner periphery of said drum at the front and bottom portion of said drum and being spaced from the inner periphery of said drum at the rear side of said drum, and a catch pan adjacent the rear side of said drum, the under side of said drum being arranged to travel in said one direction over the floor at a faster rate than the rate of travel of said device to avoid wedging of magnetic material between the drum and the floor, whereby when said device is propelled across the floor in the said one direction magnetic material is picked up on said drum and is delivered to said pan by said drum.

3. A floor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, means for propelling said frame, a revoluble drum extending transversely of said frame, power transmitting means including an overrunning clutch for driving said drum from at least one of said wheels in a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of said wheels when said frame travels forwardly, a plurality of magnets located Within said drum and having poles in proximity to the periphery of said drum at the front and bottom portion of said drum and being spaced from the inner periphery of said drum at the rear side of said drum, and a catch pan adjacent the rear side of said drum for catching material discharged from the upper portion of said drum, whereby when said device is propelled forwardly across the floor magnetic material is picked up on said drum and is delivered to said pan by said drum, said overrunning clutch acting to interrupt said power transmitting means when said device is moved backwardly, the under side of said drum being arranged to travel forwardly faster over the floor than the rate of travel of said device to avoid wedging of magnetic material between the drum and the door.

4. A iioor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, means for propelling said frame, a revoluble drum extending transversely of said frame, power transmitting means for rotating said drum from at least one of said wheels in a reverse direction from the direction of rotation of said wheels when said frame travels in one direction, a plurality of per-- manent magnets located Within said drum and mounted as a unitary assembly and adapted to be adjusted by rocking said unitary assembly about the axis of said drum, means carried by said frame for supporting said unitary assembly and including means for locking said unitary assembly in adjusted position, said magnets having pole pieces whose forward and lower parts are in close proximity to the inner periphery of said drum and whose rear parts'are spaced from the inner periphery of said drum, and a catch pan adjacent the rear side of said drum for catching material discharged from the upper portion of said drum, whereby when said device is propelled across the floor magnetic material is picked up on said drum and deposited in said pan.

5. A floor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, means for propelling said frame, a revolubly mounted drum, power transmitting means for driving said drum from at least one of said wheels, a transverse shaft carried by said frame and extending through said drum and adapted to be rocked about its axis, means for locking said shaft to said frame, a plurality of permanent magnet units mounted on said shaft and located within said drum, said magnet units producing a magnetic field from adjacent the lower portion of said drum to adjacent the top of said drum on One side thereof, a catch pan adjacent the other side of said drum, and means for adjusting the spacing of said drum from the floor.

6. A floor sweeping magnet device comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame, a transversely positioned and revolubly mounted drum, magnetic means located within said drum for producing a magnetic field adjacent the lower and forward side of said drum to adjacent the upper part of said drum, a catch pan adjacent the rear side of said drum for catching material discharged from the upper portion of said drum, power transmitting means for driving said drum from at least one of said wheels in a reverse direction from the direction of rotation of said wheels when said frame travels in one direction, a hood spaced from and covering said drum, and a transversely extending guard member located in advance of said drum and spaced upwardly from the floor for pushing away material exceeding a predetermined size.

ROSWELL H. STEARNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 688,189 Mason Dec. 3, 1901 756,353 Hardy Apr. 5, 1904 1,091,383 Oblosser Mar. 24, 1914 1,326,561 Ady Dec, 30, 1919 1,630,987 Turner May 31, 1927 1,714,171 Jobke May 21, 1929 1,961,336 Close June 5, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 461,816 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1937 

